The present disclosure relates to metal ion isolation and detection. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods for isolation and detection of metal ions from proteins.
Metals (as part of compounds or as ions), including heavy metals, are pollutants gaining more attention due to potential toxicity which can have lethal effects on living systems and general health. One source of exposure to such metals is food, in particular dairy products such as milk. Detection and monitoring of metals is highly desirable, in view of continuing incidences of contaminated milk products in several parts of the world.
Existing technologies to detect metals, heavy metals in particular, are expensive, time-consuming or use large (or bulky) devices that require a specialized laboratory and make their use for field detection impractical.
Milk presents a typical example of interest for the metal detection problem, in foodstuff. Milk is an emulsion or colloid of butterfat globules within an aqueous solution. The exact components of raw milk may vary but in general it contains significant amounts of lactose, fat, proteins and minerals as well as vitamins. The composition creates a significant problem for field assay detection techniques because such field devices typically rely on biomolecule-based assays employing DNA, RNA or proteins. A complex matrix such as milk can create significant interference and may require time-consuming sample preparation.
Thus, there is a need to provide improved solutions for isolation and detection of metal ions from complex protein-containing substrates, such as milk, that avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks. The present disclosure provides new methods to address these and related issues.